[BC] New HD radio

[Rich Wood]

------ At 12:55 AM 1/20/2006, Robert Orban wrote: -------

>I'm sure that Rich will figure out some way to put a negative spin 
>on this, but I find it hard to think of one.

Engineers don't have to. Salespeople, Marketers and programmers do. 
Ask Mike Bergman of Kenwood if a single article in a national 
business newspaper will launch his product. Remember that about 1.5 
billion receivers have to be replaced. I realize that anyone who 
questions this system and the HD Dominion is automatically considered 
negative. I can deal with that. I'd be far less than honest if I fell 
in lockstep with everyone else.

Two things. Where did you buy your receiver? Mail order or retail? 
Where in San Francisco can they go to hear all these new secondaries? 
Could I go into a store and hear the Kenwood headend and tuner before 
I plunked down $600+ to buy it? How about the Boston Acoustics at 
$500? I want an IBUZMan. Can I find a portable/mobile unit?

Second, without looking, what was the featured Op-Ed article in the 
Journal one week ago? Remember your advertising/PR basics. 11 
exposures to a spot before any action is taken. Even an Advertising 
101 student knows a single exposure is a waste of money. It was quite 
a long time ago that the NY Times ran an article. I wonder how many 
people remember it. From my investigations of consumer requests, the 
NY Times article didn't prompt people to ask about receivers. I was 
the first and only person to ask about it.

Most publications won't run anything that's been covered by the 
competition, so their wad has been blown well before there are enough 
receivers in the pipe to satisfy the demand if the secondary content 
is compelling. There's also an article in today's Boston Globe.

What's "Alternative Classical?" Is that where they play the album cuts?

How many receivers will that format sell? How many receivers will a 
gaggle of mechanical sounding jukeboxes sell. Remember, that's one of 
the major reasons people, allegedly, have left terrestrial radio. The 
definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over, 
expecting a different result. I'll stand by my contention that the 
secondaries must be real radio stations before people will buy in.

When you wake up to this new, long form, Classical format format will 
you lie in bed until the Wagner Ring is finished before going to 
work? You know you'll be late - probably by a day.

Rich


Rich Wood
Rich Wood Multimedia
Phone: 413-303-9084
FAX: 413-480-0010